Beautiful
by Bethany Dillon

I was so unique
Now I feel skin deep
Count on the makeup to cover it all
Crying myself to sleep
Because I cannot keep their attention
Thought I could be strong
But it’s killing me

Does someone hear my cry
I’m dying for new life

I want to be beautiful
And make you stand in awe
Look inside my heart
And be amazed
I want to hear you say
Who I am is quite enough
Just want to be worthy of love
And beautiful

Sometimes I wish I was someone other than me
Fighting to make the mirror happy
Trying to find whatever is missing
Won’t you help me back to glory

You make me beautiful
You make me stand in awe
You step inside my heart
And I am amazed
I love to hear You say
Who I am is quite enough
You make me worthy of love
And beautiful

Hey girls,

I just met this awesome new artist Bethany Dillon at a concert tonight. She is 15 years old and I really admire her heart and love for God. Check out her website and CD. This song “Beautiful” I feel really speaks what is on most of our hearts.

Many of you and myself have longed to be beautiful. We’ve cried ourselves to sleep and made our focus and entire world centered on trying to fix the outside, so we could fit the “beautiful” standard. What we’ve been taught is beautiful is wrong though. As this song points out we are not beautiful for what we look out but for who we are!! Especially who we are in Christ. He makes us beautiful, He is with us through the struggles to be beautiful outside.

“Who you are is quite enough” There is no reason for us to change, for any reason, for any purpose.

Some thing else that really touched me tonight is that this beautiful singer. Natalie Grant had struggled with bulimia for 2 years. www.nataliegrant.com I admire her for overcoming it and for allowing God to be her strength in a really difficult struggle. But as I was driving home thinking how could someone who was so beautiful inside and out think any different. Then I realized that the same thing applied to me, and all of you. We are all so beautiful and created for an awesome purpose and how could we possibly think any differently.

At the beginning of the song “I want to be beautiful” that’s exactly what I was saying…”Yeah, God…I want to be beautiful” but you know what…the whole time I was saying that I felt like he was saying back to me…Jess, “you already are”. I want to let you know that all of you are already beautiful.

The self-worth struggles and eating disorders are just lies trying to hold us back for a wonderful complete life…living for a purpose and shining in this world.

You are beautiful!!! If you think any different, stop and fight that thought with the truth.

“Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (Ephesians 1:4).

You will never hear someone that has recovered from eating disorders tell you that they are so upset that they stopped and that their life was so much better with the ED’s. That is because it’s not better. Yeah it’s hard to stop and we have to constantly fight the lies from coming back…but it is SO much better.

Like this song says, many of you wonder if anyone hears your cry, and you are dying for new life because the life you’re in right now is so empty and full of so much pain. Beautiful, God hears your cry.

God wants to love you and help you through this struggle. If you don’t know much about what our wonderful father says or offers please talk to me or another person. God truly does bring healing and He truly does fill the empty broken places in our hearts and in our lives.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Jesus doesn’t say, do the best you can then I will help you the rest of the way. When he died on the cross for us he said, I’ve already done everything and I will carry you all the way.

The love of the Lord is so amazing that even though we are not perfect he thinks that we are the most beautiful person in the entire world. That truth is so much better than the lies that make us hurt ourselves.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Take heart my friends, for this is not the end and I challenge you to step up to the plate for a life changing, heart changing fight to a whole and better life. It’s worth it!!

Weekly Challenge: Even if you don’t believe it, try telling yourself every morning when you wake up that you are beautiful. Try saying it…”I am beautiful” Seek out the beautiful things about you instead of the things you may not like. Let love and truth fill your thoughts, which will transfer to your life.